Standardized visual indicators in electronic media

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for associating a standardized electronic icon with a user and displaying the icon with electronic communications of the user are disclosed. A computer implemented method includes: determining one or more icons to associate with an individual when the individual creates an electronic message; and at least one of selectively and automatically appending at least one of the one or more icons that are associated with the individual to the electronic message. The at least one of the one or more icons is subsequently displayed with the electronic message to a recipient to provide information about the individual to the recipient.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to electronic communication, and moreparticularly to methods and systems for associating a standardizedelectronic icon with a user and displaying the icon with electroniccommunications of the user.

BACKGROUND

Electronic communication mediums are becoming exceedingly popular formsof communication and collaboration. However, with the wide variety ofelectronic communication tools and formats, and the broad range ofrestrictions and personal preferences with respect to formatting ofdata, it is often difficult or impossible to quickly discern therole/expertise of a participant. As an example, during an instantreal-time collaboration session with numerous (e.g., twenty or more)participants, it is unlikely that all members will know one another. Insuch an environment, the participants of the session do not have a basisfor judging the value of any input provided by other unknownparticipants.

Additionally one or more persons working in the same organization maysend email to an external client, each person having a different typeand style of identifying electronic signature. This can be veryconfusing for the client.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficienciesand limitations described herein.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, there is a computer implementedmethod for displaying standardized icons in electronic media,comprising: determining one or more icons to associate with anindividual when the individual creates an electronic message;authenticating that the individual is approved to use at least one ofthe one or more icons; and at least one of selectively and automaticallyappending the at least one of the one or more icons that are associatedwith the individual to the electronic message. The at least one of theone or more icons is subsequently displayed with the electronic messageto a recipient to provide information about the individual to therecipient. Also, a shape of the one or more icons signifies a firstinformation, indicia associated with the shape signifies a secondinformation different from the first information, and color of at leastone of the shape and the indicia signifies a third information differentfrom the first information and the second information.

In another aspect of the invention, there is a computer program productfor displaying informational icons in electronic media, the computerprogram product comprising program code stored on a tangible storagemedium. When executed on a computing device, the program code causes thecomputing device to: determine, for each respective participant of achat session, at least one icon associated with the respectiveparticipant; display, for each respective participant, the at least oneicon and an identity of the respective participant in a list ofparticipants; and display, for each message by a respective participant,the at least one icon, the identity of the participant, and the messagein a message area.

In another aspect of the invention, there is a system for displayingstandardized icons in electronic media. The system comprises a computinginfrastructure comprising a combination of hardware and softwareconfigured to: determine a plurality of icons associated withparticipants of an electronic collaboration session; present to each oneof the participants a list of the plurality of icons; receive from atleast one of the participants a selection of filtering icons selectedfrom the list; and for each respective one of the participants thatselected filtering icons, modify the viewable display of that respectiveone of the participants based on the filtering icons selected.

In another aspect of the invention, there is a method for displayingstandardized icons in electronic media. The method comprises providing acomputing infrastructure including a combination of hardware andsoftware that is configured to: determine one or more icons to associatewith an individual when the individual creates an electronic message;and at least one of selectively and automatically appending at least oneof the one or more icons that are associated with the individual to theelectronic message. The at least one of the one or more icons issubsequently displayed with the electronic message to a recipient toprovide information about the individual to the recipient. A shape ofthe one or more icons signifies a first information. Indicia associatedwith the shape signifies a second information different from the firstinformation. Color of at least one of the shape and the indiciasignifies a third information different from both the first and secondinformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment for implementing the steps inaccordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary implementation of a real-time communicationusing icons in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIGS. 3-7 show exemplary icons in accordance with aspects of theinvention;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an exemplary implementation of non-real-timecommunications using icons in accordance with aspects of the invention;and

FIGS. 10 and 11 show flow diagrams depicting implementations of methodsaccording to aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention generally relates to electronic communication, and moreparticularly to methods and systems for associating a standardizedelectronic icon with a user and displaying the icon with electroniccommunications of the user. In embodiments, standardized icons areappended to electronic messages created by a user. The icons arerepresentative of characteristics of the user (e.g., credentials,certifications, job title, etc.), such that recipients of the messagemay quickly ascertain such information about the user. The icons may beautomatically or selectively appended to any suitable type of electroniccommunication messages, such as, for example, emails, instant messages,chat room messages, blog posts, forum posts, etc. Since the icons arestandardized, implementations of the invention are multi-modal andprovide for quick and easy determination of author characteristicsacross a number of different types of electronic communication media.

In embodiments, an employer, service provider, or other third partyassigns appropriate icons to respective users. Icons may be assigned tousers according to any criteria, including but not limited to, job role,job group, job title, achievements, certification, credentials, etc.Icons associated with a user may be stored in a database or file that isaccessible by the user's electronic communication software, such thatthe icons can be appended to the user's electronic communicationmessages. Additionally, when a user creates and/or sends a message andattempts to append an icon to the message, an authentication may beperformed to verify that the user is permitted to display the icon. Inthis manner, control of the standardized icons is maintained, such thatrecipients of a message from a user may rely on the authenticity of anyicons appended to the message.

In accordance with additional aspects of the invention, the icons may beused as a basis for filtering electronic communications. For example, ina chat room environment, a user may choose to display only thosemessages from users having particular icons, while suppressing anymessages from users who are not associated with the particular icons.Such filtering may be controlled by a user selecting which icons tofilter (or by selecting which icons to not filter). Additionally oralternatively, the filtering may be performed automatically based onmetadata or keywords associated with icons of a user. For example, whenthe subject matter of a collaboration session is determined to match themetadata or key words associated with a particular icon, then the user'sviewable display of the collaboration session may be filtered to showonly messages from other participants who are associated with thatparticular icon.

In further embodiments, icons may be automatically appended to anelectronic message based on the intended recipient of the message. Forexample, in an email environment, a script may be used to automaticallyappend icons that are common to the author and the recipient(s) of theemail.

Exemplary System Environment and Infrastructure

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present invention may take the form of a computer program productembodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readablemedium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer-readable medium would include the following:

-   -   a portable computer diskette,    -   a hard disk,    -   a random access memory (RAM),    -   a read-only memory (ROM),    -   an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash        memory),    -   a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM),    -   an optical storage device,    -   a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an        intranet, and/or    -   a magnetic storage device.        The computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be        paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is        printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for        instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then        compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable        manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-usablemedium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usableprogram code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of acarrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted usingany appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline,optical fiber cable, RF, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork. This may include, for example, a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 for managing the processesin accordance with the invention. To this extent, the environment 10includes a computer infrastructure 12 that can perform the processesdescribed herein. In particular, the computer infrastructure 12 includesa computing device 14 that is operatively connected to any number ofuser computer devices 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, . . . , 50 n through a network55. The computing device 14 comprises an application 30 written inprogram code (e.g., program control 44), which makes the computingdevice 14 operable to perform the processes described herein, such as,for example, determine icons associated with a user so that the user mayappend these icons to an electronic message. For example, theapplication 30 may function as a server that communicates with asoftware application (client, agent, etc.) on each user computer devices50 a, 50 b, 50 c, . . . , 50 n to display icons with certain electroniccommunications.

According to aspects of the invention, one or more icons are definedusing data stored in storage system 22B and/or database 60. As describedin further detail herein, the icons may be indicative of any desiredinformation, including, but not limited to, criteria, credentials,certifications, etc. of an individual. For example, each division ordepartment within a company may have its own unique identifying iconwhich would be applied to each employee in that organization. As anotherexample, a particular technical certification may have a unique iconassociated with it, and an individual who has achieved thiscertification may be associated with this icon. Any number of icons maybe defined, and a particular user may be associated with any number ofthe icons. In embodiments, an employer, service provider, or other thirdparty defines the icons, and also determines (e.g., designates) whichicons are associated with which individuals. As noted above, any desiredcriteria may be employed as the basis for associating an icon with anindividual. Also, the association (e.g., designation) of icons withusers may be performed on an ongoing basis, e.g., as credentials ofusers change.

In embodiments, icons associated with users are stored in a relationaldatabase (RDB) 60. The RDB 60 may optionally include additional databasefields including more granular information about an individual asfurther described in the remainder of this disclosure. For example, whena user is logged on to a respective user computer device (e.g., 50 a)and creates an electronic message (e.g., email, instant message, chatroom post, blog entry, etc.), the computing device 14 (via programcontrol 44) determines the icons associated with user from the RDB 60and communicates these icons to the user computer device (e.g., 50 a).In this manner, the user may choose to append any of the iconsassociated with him or her to the electronic message.

Additionally or alternatively, icon definitions may be kept in a file(e.g., in storage system 22B). Criteria associated with the icondefinitions may be imposed against a user's register (e.g., in a userregistry) to determine which icons a user is permitted to display in hisor her messages. Such a file of icon definitions could be used with orwithout a database (e.g., RDB 60), and would be useful in an enterpriseenvironment. When using a file of icon definitions, fields in the userregistry (e.g., RDB 60) may include mapping definitions in the file to aparticular icon. For example, when a user is logged on to a respectiveuser computer device (e.g., 50 a) and creates an electronic message, thecomputing device 14 (via program control 44) determines the iconsassociated with user from the user register, obtains the associatedicons from the file, and communicates the icons to the user computerdevice (e.g., 50 a). Accordingly, the user may choose to append any ofthe icons associated with him or her to the electronic message.

In additional embodiments, the computing device 14 operates (viaprogramming code 44) to perform an authentication process for iconsappended to an electronic message. It is possible that a user may obtainor create a copy of an icon that is not associated with that user (e.g.,an icon which the user is not approved to use). It is further possiblethat the user may append this illicit icon to an electronic message.Accordingly, in embodiments, when a user attempts to send a messageusing a user computer device (e.g., 50 a), the computing device 14compares icons appended to the message to icons actually associated withthe user. For example, the computing device 14 may determine which iconsare appended to a message by comparing data in the message to datadefinitions of icons stored in the RDB 60 and/or icon definition file(e.g., stored in storage system 22B). Then, the computing device 14 maycompare the icons that are appended to the message to the icons that theuser is approved to use. When a message contains a particular icon thatthe user is not approved to use, the computing device 14 mayautomatically remove that particular icon from the message (e.g., bydeleting the data that defines the icon from the message), or mayprevent the message from being sent.

The computing device 14 includes a processor 20, a memory 22A, aninput/output (I/O) interface 24, and a bus 26. The memory 22A caninclude local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storageof at least some the program code (e.g., program control 44) in order toreduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storageduring execution. Further, the computing device 14 is in communicationwith an external I/O device/resource 28 and a storage system 22B. TheI/O device 28 can comprise any device that enables an individual tointeract with the computing device 14 or any device that enables thecomputing device 14 to communicate with one or more other computingdevices using any type of communications link. The external I/Odevice/resource 28 may be keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.

The processor 20 executes the computer program code (e.g., programcontrol 44), which is stored in memory 22A and/or storage system 22B.While executing computer program code, the processor 20 can read and/orwrite data to/from memory 22A, storage system 22B, and/or I/O interface24. The bus 26 provides a communications link between each of thecomponents in the computing device 14.

The computing device 14 and respective user computer devices 50 a, 50 b,50 c, . . . , 50 n can comprise any general purpose computing article ofmanufacture capable of executing computer program code installed thereon(e.g., a personal computer, server, wireless notebook, smart telephone,personal digital assistant, etc.). However, it is understood that thecomputing device 14 and user computer devices 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, . . . ,50 n are only representative of various possible equivalent computingdevices that may perform the processes described herein. To this extent,in embodiments, the functionality provided by the computing device 14and user computer devices 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, . . . , 50 n can beimplemented by a computing article of manufacture that includes anycombination of general and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computerprogram code. In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can becreated using standard programming and engineering techniques,respectively.

Similarly, the computer infrastructure 12 is only illustrative ofvarious types of computer infrastructures for implementing theinvention. For example, in embodiments, the computer infrastructure 12comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) thatcommunicate over any type of communications link, such as a network, ashared memory, or the like, to perform the processes described herein.Further, while performing the processes described herein, one or morecomputing devices in the computer infrastructure 12 can communicate withone or more other computing devices external to computer infrastructure12 using any type of communications link. The communications link cancomprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links; any combinationof one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide areanetwork, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.); and/orutilize any combination of transmission techniques and protocols.

In embodiments, the invention provides a business method that performsthe steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/or feebasis. That is, a primary service provider, such as a SolutionIntegrator, could offer to perform the processes described herein. Inthis case, the primary service provider can create, maintain, deploy,support, etc., a computer infrastructure that performs the process stepsof the invention for one or more customers. In return, the primaryservice provider can receive payment from the customer(s) under asubscription and/or fee agreement and/or the primary service providercan receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or morethird parties.

Exemplary Icons

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary implementation of a real-time communicationusing icons in accordance with aspects of the invention. In acollaborative session where a user does not know each of the otherparticipants, it is advantageous for the user to be able to quicklyascertain the various roles of the unknown participants. For example, indynamic collaborative environments (e.g., chat sessions, etc.), it ishelpful to understand as much about each participant as quickly aspossible.

More specifically, FIG. 2 shows an exemplary display 200 of a chatsession utilizing icons in accordance with aspects of the invention. Thedisplay 200 includes a list of participants 210 and a message area 220.Each participant has an icon 230 a-e displayed next to their name in thelist of participants 210. As described herein, each respective icon 230a-e may have a distinct shape, color, text, etc., that signifiespredefined information about the participant that the icon is associatedwith. For example, and as described in more detail below with respect toFIGS. 3-7, the shape, text, and color of icon 230 d may indicate thatJohn Smith is a Senior I/T Specialist in the Services Division of theorganization. Additionally, the shape, text, and color of icon 230 e mayindicate that Jane Smith is Chief Counsel in the Law Office. In thismanner, observers of the chat session may instantly ascertaininformation about the other participants of the chat session by lookingat the icons.

As depicted in FIG. 2, a participant may have one icon (e.g., 230 a) ormore than one icon (e.g., 230 c, 230 d) displayed next to their name.Additionally, a participant may have zero icons displayed next to theirname. Moreover, two or more participants may have common icons.

Additionally, when a participant sends an electronic message to the chatsession, their respective icon is displayed along with their name nextto their message in the message area 220. In this manner, observers ofthe chat session (e.g., other participants, etc.) may quickly ascertainuseful information about a participant who has posted a message from theicons.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the chat session in FIG. 2may be implemented using the environment described with respect toFIG. 1. For example, each participant may be logged on to a respectiveuser computer device (e.g., 50 a, 50 b, etc.), and a definition of theicons 230 a-e displayed next to the users may be stored in a database(e.g., database 60) and/or an icon definition file (e.g., stored instorage system 22B). In such an environment, the computing device 14 mayoperate (e.g., via program control 44) to append the appropriate icons230 a-e to the participant names in the participant list 210 and to themessages in the message area 220.

Although particular examples of icons are shown in FIG. 2, the inventionis not limited to these examples. Instead, any suitable types of icons(e.g., size, shape, color, text, etc.) may be used within the scope ofthe invention. Moreover, icons may be used with any real-timecommunication, and the invention is not limited to use with chatsessions.

FIGS. 3-7 show exemplary icons in accordance with aspects of theinvention. The icons shown are merely illustrative, and the invention isnot limited to the icons depicted in FIGS. 3-7. Instead, the exemplaryicons are used to illustrate how icons of different shapes, colors,text, etc., may be used as standardized indicators of information aboutpeople.

More specifically, FIG. 3 demonstrates that the shape of the icon may beindicative of a department within an organization. For example, an icon230 f having a first shape may represent that an individual is in theServices Division, an icon 230 g having a second shape may representthat an individual is in Sales and Distribution, and an icon 230 hhaving a third shape may represent that an individual is in the LawOffice. Accordingly, all people in the Services Division would have anicon having the first shape (e.g., icon 230 f) associated with them andavailable to them for use with their electronic communications. In thismanner, when a recipient receives an electronic communication from auser, and that communication includes an icon having the first shape(e.g., icon 230 f), the recipient will immediately be able to determinefrom the icon that the author of the message is a member of the ServicesDivision. In further embodiments, the shapes are intuitively linked withthe information that they convey. For example, a cog shape may be usedto represent people in an engineering department.

FIG. 4 continues the example of FIG. 3, and depicts how additional datamay be added to each icon to provide even further information about anindividual. By using acronyms, initials, abbreviations and/or graphics,individual status with additional granularity can be understood at aglance. For example, an icon 230 i having the text “IS” included withinthe first shape indicates that an individual is an I/T Specialist withinthe Services Division. Similarly, an icon 230 j having the text “TS”within the second shape indicates that the user is in Technical Sales inSales and Distribution. Also, an icon 230 k having the text “IP” withinthe third shape indicates that the individual is an IP Law Counsel inthe Law Office. In this manner, text or other indicia may be added tothe shapes (e.g., from FIG. 2) to further identify an individual's rolewithin the organization represented by the shape.

FIG. 5 continues the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, and demonstrates how anadditional level of informational granularity may be added to each iconusing color (texture, pattern, etc.). For example, in addition to shapeand text, color may be used with an icon to designate, e.g., seniorityor career stage of an individual. Particularly, in FIG. 5 the firstcolor may indicate an Advisory level employee. As described above withrespect to FIGS. 3 and 4, the first shape and text “IS” indicate an I/TSpecialist in the Services Division. Therefore, an icon 230 l having thecombination of the first color, first shape, and text “IS” indicates anAdvisory I/T Specialist in the Services Division. Similarly, an icon 230m having the second color, first shape, and text “IS” may represent aCertified I/T Specialist in the Services Division. Likewise, an icon 230n having the third color, first shape, and text “IS” may represent aSenior I/T Specialist in the Services Division.

The shapes, text, and colors of the icons described thus far are merelyexemplary, and any desired number icons of different combinations ofshape, text, color, may be used within the scope of the invention. Forexample, FIG. 6 shows additional icons 230 o-230 t that designate othertypes of information about an individual.

FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment where additional information 705 isassociated with an icon 230 u, and is displayed when a user positionstheir mouse 715 over the icon 230 u. In this manner, when a userobserves an icon in a chat session (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 2), theuser may “mouse-over” the icon to view the additional information. Theadditional information 705 may be any desired information, and mayinclude hyperlinks 720. The additional information 705 may be stored inthe same location as the icon (e.g., database 60, storage system 22B,etc.). In embodiments, the computing device 14 is configured to providethe information to a user computer device (e.g., 50 a) when the mousepointer on the user computer device is detected over the icon 230 u. Theinformation may include, for example, the definition of the icon andassociated identification information, such as, for example, asdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 2-6.

FIGS. 8 and 9 depict examples of icons 230 v, 230 x appended to anon-real-time electronic communication, such as a signature 815 of anemail message. The signature 815 may comprise plural portions, such as alogo 820 and a text signature 825 as shown in FIG. 8. Alternatively, thesignature 815 may comprise a single portion (e.g., logo 820) and one ormore icons (e.g., 230 v, 230 x). Thus, the standardized icons describedherein are not limited being used with (e.g., appended to) chat sessioncommunications (e.g., FIG. 2). Rather, the icons described herein may beused with any form of electronic communication, such as email (e.g.,FIGS. 8 and 9), blog posts, forum posts, etc.

In embodiments, an employer, service provider, or other third partydefines the various icons and the information associated with each icon.The same employer, service provider, or other third party may designatewhich icons apply to which individuals. Data defining the icons anddesignations of respective icons with individuals may be stored in adatabase (e.g., database 60) or file (e.g., resident in storage system22B) as described above with respect to FIG. 1, and may be updated on aroutine and/or as-needed basis (e.g., due to a change in status of auser). The information may be obtained by third parties in order tounderstand the icon. Then, when an individual creates an electronicmessage (e.g., using user computer device 50 a), any one or more of theicons associated with the individual may be appended to that message.

In additional embodiments, an icon can be used to display historicalinformation about the individual using the icon. That is to say, dataassociated with a first user's past employment divisions, departments,roles, etc., may be stored and linked to an icon associated with thatfirst user. Then, for example, when a second user right-clicks on theicon (e.g., in an email received from the first user), the computingdevice 14 could display the historical information about the first user.

Appending Icons to Messages

In embodiments, an individual creating an electronic communication(e.g., using user computer device 50 a) may automatically and/orselectively append any of the icons associated with them to the message.For example, the computing device 14 may be configured to cooperate withthe email program of the user computer device 50 a to provide theindividual with a pull-down menu of available icons for appending to anemail message. In this manner, the individual has the option ofselecting, from all of his or her approved icons, those to be displayedwith a particular message. Although this example is described withrespect to email, the selective appending described herein is equallyuseable with any other form of electronic message (e.g., chat session,blog post, forum post, etc.).

In additional embodiments, the individual may be permitted to specifythat certain icons are automatically appended to each message in aparticular communication medium. For example, the computing device 14may be configured to cooperate with the email program of the usercomputer device 50 a to permit the individual to specify that aparticular icon is to be automatically appended to each outgoing email.Then, when the individual creates a new email, the specified icon isautomatically included in the email message.

Moreover, different icons may be automatically appended to messagesbased on the type of communication medium being utilized. For example,in addition to the icons automatically added to emails as describedabove, the computing device 14 may be configured to cooperate with thechat session program of the user computer device 50 a to permit theindividual to specify that a particular icon is to be automaticallyappended to chat session messages. The icons automatically added toemails may be the same or different than the icons automatically addedto chat session messages.

In additional embodiments, one or more icons may be automaticallyattached to an email message based on the recipient of the emailmessage. More specifically, the computing device 14 may operate tocompare the icons associated with the author of the email message to theicons associated with the recipient of the email message (e.g., definedon the “To” field of the email message). Any icons that are common toboth individuals are automatically appended to the email message. Inthis manner, the automatic appending of icons is targeted to theintended audience of the message.

Furthermore, selective appending of icons may be used in combinationwith automatic appending. For example, in addition to one or more iconsbeing automatically appended to an email message, the user may alsoselectively add other approved icons (e.g., via drop-down menu) to thesame email message.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 1, an authenticationprocedure may optionally be performed to verify that icons appended toany electronic communication are approved for use by the author of themessage. In embodiments, this authentication procedure is performed atleast in part by the computing device 14 comparing the icons appended tothe message to the icons approved for use by the individual creating themessage. When an unapproved icon is detected in a message, the computingdevice 14 may strip the unapproved icon from the message when thenmessage is sent (e.g., so that any recipient of the message will not seethe unapproved icon). Additionally or alternatively, when an unapprovedicon is detected in a message, the computing device 14 may prevent themessage from being sent until the unapproved icon is removed. Forexample, an error message or warning may be displayed on the usercomputer device 50 a instructing the individual to remove the unapprovedicon from the message.

Filtering Based on Icons

In additional embodiments, the icons associated with an individual maybe used as a basis for filtering electronic communications. For example,in a chat session environment, an individual may select one or moreicons (e.g., from a drop-down menu), and only messages from users havingthose selected icons will be displayed on the individual's view of thechat session. In this manner, the individual may selectively filter(e.g., not view) messages from other users that are not associated withthe selected icon(s). In embodiments, the computing device 14 determinesall of the icons associated with all of the participants of the chatsession, and presents the individual (e.g., via user computer device 50a) with a pull-down menu from which to select filtering icons.

Additionally or alternatively, filtering may be performed automaticallybased on predefined metadata associated with icons. More specifically,in embodiments, a user may specify (e.g., in an electronically storeduser profile) metadata associated with any of the icons associated with(e.g., approved for use by) that user. The computing device 14 may beconfigured to scan the text of messages of a collaboration session forsuch metadata. When metadata associated with a particular icon is found,the computing device 14 operates to modify the user's viewable displayof the collaboration session to show only messages from otherparticipants who are associated with that particular icon.

Exemplary Processes of the Invention

FIGS. 10 and 11 are an illustrative exemplary process in accordance withthe present invention. The steps of FIGS. 10 and 11 may be implementedon the computer infrastructure of environment of FIG. 1. The flowdiagrams in FIGS. 10 and 11 may be illustrative of the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems,methods and computer program products according to various embodimentsof the present invention. In this regard, each process may represent amodule, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. Each block of the flow diagrams, andcombinations of the flow diagrams illustrations can be implemented byspecial purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions and/or software, as described above.

Additionally, the invention can take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containingboth hardware and software elements. Software includes but is notlimited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Furthermore, theinvention can take the form of a computer program product accessiblefrom a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing programcode for use by or in connection with a computer or any instructionexecution system. The software and/or computer program product can beimplemented in the environments of FIG. 1. For the purposes of thisdescription, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be anyapparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transportthe program for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (orapparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of acomputer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory,magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an opticaldisk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read onlymemory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

More specifically, FIG. 10 shows a flow diagram depicting steps of amethod in accordance with aspects of the invention. At step 1005, anemployer, service provider, or other entity define and electronicallystores one or more icons. The icons may be similar to those describedwith respect to FIGS. 2-9, and may have any desired shape, indicia,color, etc., to stand for any desired information (e.g., job title, jobrank, certification, achievements, etc.). Data defining the icons may bestored, for example, in a database (e.g., database 60) or in a file(e.g., stored in storage system 22B).

At step 1010, the employer, service provider, or other entity associatedcertain ones of the icons defined in step 1005 with individuals. Theassociations may be based on any suitable criteria. As described abovewith respect to FIG. 1, icons associated with each individual (or apointer to such icons) may be stored in a database entry or file (e.g.,electronic user profile) associated with the user.

At step 1015, a user utilizes a user computing device (e.g., usercomputer device 50 a) to create an electronic message. This may beperformed in a conventional manner using conventional electronicmessaging software (e.g., email, chat session, etc.).

At step 1020, a program control (e.g., program control 44 of computingdevice 14 described with respect to FIG. 1) determines the icons thatare associated with the user that is creating the message at step 1015.In embodiments, the program control looks up the icons in the databaseor file based on the user's identity, as described above with respect toFIG. 1.

At step 1025, one or more of the icons determined in step 1020 areappended to (e.g., attached to, included in, etc.) the electronicmessage. This may be performed as already described herein. For example,the user may selectively append icons based on a list of available iconsshown in a drop-down menu. Additionally or alternatively, icons may beautomatically appended to the message based on the type of message(e.g., email, chat session, blog, forum, etc.). Additionally oralternatively, icons may be automatically appended to the message basedon any other factors, such as icons that are common between the usercreating the message and the identified recipient of the message.

At step 1030, the message is transmitted and displayed to therecipient(s), with the icons from step 1025 being displayed with themessage. For example, the server computing device (e.g., computingdevice 14) communicates with the various user computer devices (e.g.,user computer devices 50 a, . . . , 50 n) to transmit and display themessage with the one or more icons included with the message.

FIG. 11 shows a flow diagram depicting steps of another process inaccordance with aspects of the invention. At step 1105, a chat sessionis started in a conventional manner. At step 1110, a program control(e.g., program control 44) determines all of the icons associated withthe respective participants of the chat session. This may be performed,for example, as described herein by looking up each user's associatedicons in the database (e.g., database 60) or data file (e.g., stored instorage system 22B).

At step 1115, the program control presents a user (e.g., an individualparticipant of the chat session) with the option to filter the chatsession based on the icons determined in step 1110. For example, theprogram control may cooperate with the user computer device (e.g., usercomputer device 50 a) to display a drop-down menu of all of the iconsdetermined at step 1110. The user may select one or more icons from thedrop-down menu as filtering icons.

At step 1120, the program control filters the user's viewable display ofthe chat session based on the filtering icons selected in step 1115. Inembodiments, the program control cooperates with the user computerdevice to modify the user's viewable display of the chat session to showmessages only from participants that are associated with one or more ofthe filtering icons.

Aspects of the invention are multi-modal, such that implementations ofthe invention enables useful secondary functions such as visualindicator filtering based on communication forum and context, discussiontopic, target party or audience, and the like. For example, during achat session between users having different job roles (e.g., salespeople, installation people, inventors, and invention evaluators), eachone of the user may filter his or her viewable display of the chatsession based on icons associated with the various participants.

Moreover, the visual indicators provided in embodiments of the presentinvention are context independent and can be meaningful outside of thecontext of the original electronic communication. As an example, anemail sent to a third party including a Certified CNE indicator would bebroadly meaningful to the recipient.

Implementations of the invention can be used to display different iconsto different people based on role, location, or other attributes. Forexample, different icons may be automatically appended to differentmessages based on any number of factors, such as commonality of iconsbetween sender and recipient.

Moreover, because aspects of the invention are multi-modal, the visualindicators described herein are not limited to visibility within asingle application. Rather, embodiments of the invention provide amechanism to display such visual indicators in a plurality of externalapplications. For example, the same icon may be used with an emailapplication, a chat session application, and blog and forum posts.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below, whereapplicable, are intended to include any structure, material, or act forperforming the function in combination with other claimed elements asspecifically claimed. The description of the present invention has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, but is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spiritof the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the invention and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the invention for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.Accordingly, while the invention has been described in terms ofembodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modifications and in the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer program product for displayinginformational icons in electronic media, the computer program productcomprising program code stored on a tangible storage medium, which, whenexecuted on a computing device, causes the computing device to:determine, based on a user registry, for each respective participant ofa chat session, at least one icon permitted to be used by the respectiveparticipant, wherein: said at least one icon is indicative of one ormore predefined categories of users, and said user registry associateseach respective participant with one or more icons permitted for use bythe respective participant based on criteria associated with the one ormore icons; display, for each respective participant whose permission touse a selected icon has been authenticated based on the user registry,the selected icon and an identity of the respective participant in alist of participants; and display, for each message created by arespective participant, the selected icon, the identity of theparticipant, and the message in a message area.
 2. The computer programproduct of claim 1, wherein: a shape of the at least one icon signifiesa first type of information, indicia associated with the shape signifiesa second type of information, and color of at least one of the shape andthe indicia signifies a third type of information.
 3. The computerprogram product of claim 1, further comprising displaying additionalinformation about a respective participant when a user places a mousepointer over the selected icon.
 4. The computer program product of claim3, wherein the additional information contains at least one hyperlink.5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each respectiveparticipant is permitted to select the at least one icon from a menu ofapproved icons associated with that respective participant by the userregistry.
 6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprisingsuppressing messages for each respective participant whose permission touse a selected icon has not been authenticated based on the userregistry.
 7. The computer program product of claim 1,wherein theauthenticating comprises comparing the selected icon individual with theone or more icons permitted for use by the respective participant.
 8. Acomputer implemented method for displaying standardized icons inelectronic media, comprising: determining, for an individualparticipating in a messaging session, one or more predefined iconsassociated with an identity of the individual, the one or more iconsbeing a predetermined set of icons permitted to be used by theindividual; authenticating that a selected icon is one of the one ormore predefined icons associated with an identity of the individual; andselectively displaying the selected icon to one or more otherindividuals based on the authenticating; wherein: the one or morepredefined icons associated with the identity of the individual areindicative of one or more predefined categories of users, and theassociation between the identity of the individual and the one or morepredefined icons is determined based on criteria associated with the oneor more icons.
 9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein:shapes of the one or more predefined icons signify a first type ofinformation, indicia associated with the shapes signify a second type ofinformation, and colors of at least one of the shapes and the indiciasignify a third type of information.
 10. The computer implemented methodof claim 8, further comprising displaying additional information aboutthe individual when the one or more other individuals place a mousepointer over the display of the selected icon.
 11. The computerimplemented method of claim 10, wherein the additional informationincludes hyperlink.
 12. The computer implemented method of claim 8,wherein: the determining the one or more predefined icons comprisesdisplaying a menu including the one or more predefined icons; and theauthenticating comprises receiving a selection from the menu.